8. Ameriden
Ameriden
Pernimas.
He knew that name better than most. That was her name in familiar speech—the language that had united all the denizens of Ordia.
But for Ameriden and Casimine, she was simply known as the Water Mother.
The origin of all hanfen creation had always been tied to the moons—with the exception of the air hanfen, as their creation was responsible for all.
Knowing that the human woman inappropriately lounging in the chair across from him was familiar with their mother—with mother of all water hanfens—made her immensely more attractive to him.
It also helped that she had toned arms, thick thighs, and a face that clearly said, “Fuck off”. Something about that particular combination immediately pulled Ameriden’s attention. Casimine kissing the back of her hand only solidified Ameriden’s passing thought.
If Casi likes her, that means I can like her, which means WE can like her.
At least, Ameriden hoped as Casimine slowly trailed his hand away from Taldesa.
Ameriden liked her name—there was something royal about it despite her rugged appearance, or maybe in spite of it.
The permanent glare in her yellow eyes made his body tingle.
Whether it was excitement at the prospect of being with Casimine and her, or the novelty of the new experience—Ameriden wasn’t sure.
Could be both, he thought as he came to stand at Casimine’s side.
“I’m Ameriden,” he said, offering his own hand.
Hand shaking was common on many continents and had a few advantages as opposed to the respectful bowing that had been drilled into Ameriden since he was old enough to stand.
Hand shaking was intimate, it could be used as a show of strength or weakness depending.
Yet, Taldesa surprised him, when instead of offering her hand for him to take, she simply slapped his palm with her own.
Like the way the other bards did after singing practice.
Oh, you don’t want me to kiss your hand, huh?
Ameriden laughed, “You got some power behind those small wrists.”
Wrists that Ameriden really wanted to hold down as he rutted against her.
That he wanted pressed against the back of his neck as he fucked her.
It had been a long time since Ameriden had felt this level of attraction, and he was startled with how easily the thoughts came to his mind.
His head was usually so preoccupied with Casimine that Ameriden had forgotten he could think about anyone else until then.
“If you like my wrists, wait ‘til you see what I can do with my hands,” Taldesa replied.
Her voice was lower than most of the women who frequented their performances. Monotone as well, but it didn’t deter Ameriden in the slightest. The flirtation was so there. He shared another look with Casi, pleased to see the sparkling twinkle in his eye.
He was so in.
If Seira was so concerned with them sneaking off in the middle of the night, she sure as hell made it easier for the both of them.
It would be much easier to flirt and entice someone if they lived right next door.
No audience to worry about seeing them, no local authorities barging in because of the noise complaints.
Just him, and Casimine, and their personal bodyguard.
This literally couldn’t go any better.
“Cercel, I have the formal parchment contracts in the dining area, why don’t you follow me and make sure it’s alright,” Seira said, hopping out of her seat.
Except it just did!
Knowing their manager, Seira really did need to go over some contracts.
If there was one thing she was always dead set on, it was having some kind of parchment trail.
It was something Seira always made sure she had on hand, especially when local authorities were involved.
The fact that she had inadvertently given them an opportunity to speak with their personal bodyguard alone was just an added bonus.
Fuck, it really had been that long, hadn’t it?
The anticipation was making his head thicker than it already was.
Eagerness was good, but socially speaking it probably wasn’t polite to be thinking so many indecent thoughts about someone he just met while standing next to the man he had been in love with since he was sixteen.
Taldesa’s jaw tensed, her tongue peaking out to trace a canine as she eyed them both. Her gaze flitted toward Seira and Cercel—who had sat at the dining table— before she turned her heavy stare back to them.
“Okay, listen up, because I’m only gonna say this once,” Taldesa said, holding up a chipped finger nail in their direction.
“I’m your bodyguard, not your babysitter.
I don’t pick up after grown warriors at the temple, I’m sure as fuck not gonna start doing it now.
I’m not your—whatever the fuck she is for you.
I’m not gonna baby either of you, but I’ll keep you alive—as much as I need to.
That’s my job. If you two are looking for a babysitter, I suggest going down to the Tipsy Top Inn. Got it?”
She was blunt.
But so was Ameriden.
“Hey, we’re big boys,” he said with a grin. “We know how to carry our own stuff.”
“And by we, Ameriden means he’ll carry our stuff,” Casimine supplied.
“Can you blame me? I’m kind of built for it,” Ameriden replied, lifting the arm nearest to Casimine and flexing his bicep.
He noted the way Taldesa’s eyes trailed the muscle before immediately training in on his abs. Lingering eyes said volumes when mouths wouldn’t. Water Mother knew Ameriden’s own eyes betrayed how much he wanted to pull Casimine aside and see how sold he was on the idea of seducing their bodyguard.
He has to, Ameriden thought. It’s written all over his face, right?
“Let me guess, you princess carry this one, too?” Taldesa asked, gesturing to Casimine with her thumb.
Ameriden laughed, “I mean, I can—”
“If you even think about carrying me across the stage, I’ll shave your eyebrows off,” Casimine replied with polite sweetness.
It was the voice Casimine used when he disapproved of something.
Ameriden had heard it enough when they were forced to talk to diplomats and political figures at the parties they performed at.
Casimine would never outwardly be hostile toward anyone, but he was ruthless when it came to malicious civility.
Yet, Ameriden couldn’t turn down a challenge when there was something to be gained. Something that would be beneficial to everyone if Ameriden played his cards right. Ameriden caught Taldesa’s eye.
“And if I did ‘princess carry’ him”— Ameriden raised one of his sharp eyebrows at her— “what would I get for it?”
Taldesa shifted, coming up from her awkward position so she was fully seated with one leg still hooked over the arm of the chair. She slung her arm across her knee, and gestured for Ameriden to lean in. He did so, eagerly, as she stared straight into his eyes. Plush mouth opening—
“My fist to the back of your head if you’re implying what I think you’re implying,” she murmured.
What was it about a woman threatening him that got Ameriden so damn hot?
And not just any woman, but her? If there was any proof that Ameriden stopped thinking with his brain, it was right then because he was completely unprepared for Casimine pulling him by the arm.
He almost tripped, even as his partner rattled off an excuse to discuss lyrics as he was shoved into the bedroom.
Casimine barely closed the door before whirling on Ameriden.
“What was that?” he demanded.
“What was what?”
“That!” Casimine huffed. “I’ve never seen you so forward with someone before—you know, outside of the performance.”
Ameriden was glad that Casimine had clarified, because he was damn sure he had been way more forward at some of their other venues. In fact, Ameriden had an entire routine where he would play the lute on his knees, torso thrown back as a lucky fan poured water from a goblet all over his chest.
“Um, it’s this thing called flirting, Casi,” Ameriden chuckled as he hopped up the dais and sat on the edge of the bed. “Where have you been?”
Had Ameriden misunderstood? Had something changed in those few short moments with their new bodyguard? Whatever the issue was, Ameriden wasn’t so tied to the idea of being with Taldesa if it meant jeopardizing his relationship with—
“Watching the two of you and losing my mind!” Casi replied, closing the distance between them and pressing his body between Ameriden’s legs. “Or can you not tell?”
A sly grin crossed Ameriden’s face as he felt Casimine through the layers of their pants.
“Oh, I see,” Ameriden hummed, leaning to press a chaste kiss to Casimine’s throat. “We were driving you wild, huh?”
Casimine hissed when Ameriden bit his neck. “It’s terrible how much—fuck, Amer, we just met her.”
The confession was like relief as he grabbed Casimine by the ass and yanked him closer. The gasp that escaped Casi’s mouth tickled Ameriden’s neck.
“And you were thinking about her between us,” Ameriden laughed. “You were thinking about what she’d feel like—”
“Stop,” Casimine whined.
“I don’t think you want me to,” Ameriden teased, rocking Casimine’s hips toward him. “I think I could get you off just talking about her—”
“Amer—”
“Shut me up, Casi, or I’ll keep—”
When Casimine’s mouth met his, Ameriden couldn’t help but groan.
He greedily explored the familiar mouth, hotly sliding his tongue along his.
Casimine had always felt like bliss. Every part of him Ameriden was allowed to touch, stroke, explore—it had always felt like Casimine was made for him and he was dead set on showing him.
His mouth traveled toward his ear, all the while Casimine shivered in his embrace.
“Amer,” Casimine gasped. “Fuck, Amer, wait—”
The word was like falling into the frigid waters of the Grey Depths. Ameriden froze, removing his hands from Casimine entirely. While he might have been horny beyond belief, no was always a word Ameriden reacted to, especially when it came from Casimine’s mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Casimine sighed. He rubbed his face, hands trailing to his neck. “I—I’m sorry. I just—we should talk about this. About what we want to do here. With her—I mean about her.”
Ameriden placed his hands behind him, leaning away though everything in him wanted to cling to Casimine like his life depended on it.
He knew Casimine needed his space. If anything, it was a testament to how much of an effect he had on him that Casimine couldn’t even think straight when Ameriden had his hands on him.
“Right, responsible stuff… rules?”
“I—” Casimine licked his lips. “She has to want it, too.”
“Of course. Consent is always required.”
“Right, no drugs, no excessive drink—I don’t know about you, but I’m a little over waking up next to strangers and not remembering everything we did,” Casimine said, cheeks blooming lilac in color.
“Agreed,” Ameriden said.
What went unsaid was how much Ameriden wanted to remember Casimine. The others had mattered, but not in the way that Casimine did, and it killed Ameriden that those memories were like sea foam dissolving in his mind.
“We don’t do this with anyone else while we’re doing this with her. I think it’s already going to be messy seeing how she’ll be our bodyguard for the next few months and while we just met, I get the feeling she might be the jealous type.”
“Oh, definitely,” Ameriden hummed. “You don’t go around with that expression without having a few hangups.”
Casimine nodded, seemingly satisfied. “What about you?”
“Oh, I only ever have the one rule, Casi, you know that,” Ameriden took Casimine’s hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and kissing his knuckles. “It’s both of us or neither of us.”
That had always been the unwritten rule, but one that Ameriden and Casimine had started utilizing when they began to actively seek out bedfellows versus accidentally falling into bed with others.
While their relationship might not have had a proper name, the rules of it had always been clear.
They didn’t sleep with people on their own—Amer was too jealous and Casimine too lonely.
“She accepts us both, or we don’t pursue this at all,” Casimine agreed. “I guess the real question now is how do we proceed? She wasn’t very receptive to our flirting.”
Ameriden thought otherwise, but hated seeing the worry on Casimine’s face. He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth.
“We’ll figure it out .”